Soest Things to Do

A self-confident Soest from 1444 to 1449 liberated itself from the Bishop of Cologne, who controlled Westphalia (the so-called Soester Fehde). Being no longer capital of Westphalia, the city aligned itself with the Duke of Cleves. This was a Pyrrhic victory, however; the city had shown itself strong enough to defy the powerful Archbishop of...

Saint Patroclus of Troyes was a Christian martyr who died around 259 AD. A wealthy native of Troyes, he was noted for his charity. Highly venerated after the discovery of his Acts, Patroclus is said to have been arrested during the persecutions of the Emperor Aurelian. He is said to have converted Sabinian of Troyes. His persecutors attempted to...

On the Mohne dam we spotted some padlocks attached to the wire fence and wondered what they were all about. When we took a closer look at them they had what seemed to be names and dates of wedding couples.On further investigation on the web on our return I found out that they were Love padlocks or Love Locks. They are normally attached to bridges...

After visiting the Mohne Dam we payed our respects at the memorial, in Gunne, to the villagers who died, after the dam was breached by the Dambusters Raid. It is know on the plaque on the wall as Mohneseekatastrophe 17.5.43.

A visit to the Mohne Dam was the main point of our trip to Soest and the Mohnesee.I wanted to see the scale of the Mohne dam was and get some idea of the task that was given to the Dambusters in Operation Chastise.Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as...

In November we got the fifth season: parish fair. it is the biggest town parish fair in Europe. Over a million people come enjoy different roundabouts and lots and lots food specialties. Usually you need 5 minutes to go from A to B. in fairtime you need more then half an hour!

Soest Restaurants

You have to visit this unique hotel-restaurant that is only two minutes walk away from the centre of the city! Since I haven't been a guest of the hotel I will write here only a review of the visited by us restaurant/inn. As we have been told that the Pilgrim-Haus stands for more than 700 years of gastronomy in the heart of the old Hanseatic city of Soest in its original old beautiful house with untouched character and atmosphere - it was opened as an inn/guesthouse in the distant 1304 year! It's really amazing to dine in such a restaurant/inn between meter-thick stone walls and furnishings that have been accumulated over generations! But it's not just the interior and the atmosphere that makes this restaurant so special. Their food is tasty and you can see it because not only tourists but also many local people visit it - the venue offers not a very long menu consisting of traditional dishes from the regional Westphalian cuisine as well as international dishes - mostly salads, meat and fish plus a nice wine list and several German draught and bottled beers. I would recommend you to try the fillet of pork as a main dish and the local pumpernickel dessert! The original pumpernickel is a traditional Westphalian whole-grain bread made from rye flour and coarse rye meal with specific preparation that allows its ingredients to caramelize, giving the bread its dark brown color and its lightly sweet aroma and taste. The dessert I had was with ice-cream and cherries and was incredibly delicious! The staff is extremely kind(they have also an English menu, you just have to ask for it), the prices are about average or slighly higher than average, you can pay in cash or by credit card. The restaurant is open everyday from 12:00 till 14:00 and from 17:30 till 22:30.

Favorite Dish:
We had the fillet of pork and it was delicious! The local pumpernickel icecream is a must eat dessert (price of EUR 6.20), try also the draught Veltins Pils and the Pilgrim-haus Dunkel/Dark beers!

Related to:

Architecture

Food and Dining

Historical Travel

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Soest Local Customs

Lovingly decorated stalls of the Christmas Market are picturesquely situated between the imposing green sandstone churches and the historical half-timbered houses. There is a daily stage program with Christmas related performances. Senior citizens read fairy tales to children, a Christmas Angel opens door of the day of the large Advent calendar, and a trumpet player climbs the steps to the church tower each evening to play familiar carols, and a Westphalian nativity scene can be admired in the Cathedral of Saint Patroclus.

Soest Off The Beaten Path

A sister city to Soest is Mishawaka in Indiana, US. This American city (of about 47.000 inhabitants) lies on St. Joseph River. Its nickname is the Princess City. Back in the days in Soest, there was also an American Nike Battery (66th Battalion) situated to the south, which was subsequently turned over to the German military.

unknown to a few, Soest is the scene of the famous WW II Dam Busters! A short journey outside of the town lies the holiday resort 'Mohnesee' which apart from having extremely nice lakes and surroindings also features architecture that was directly affected in WW II. a great venue for a day out in Soest in the summer.

Located to the south of Soest, is a large, and widely unknown mass grave. Dating back over 5,000 years, this stone burial site doesn't seem like much to most people, but for those with an interest in history, it's a worthwhile detour. In 1991, over 130 skeletons were excavated from the site.

Experience Soest

Top 4 Soest Writers

Soest, a city of about 50. 000 inhabitants, has in fact the most marvelous Christmas Market of all Christmas Markets I've been to. Strolling over Soest's Christmas Market, does nothing but putting a...

Come and visit my beautiful hometown! Soest dates from the Middle Ages. The old town is still in very good condition although it was badly destroyed in the second world war. half-timbered houses and...

We went to Dortmund for a lovely long weekend in June 2011. The plan was to use Dortmund as a base for a four day tour of the famous Ruhr reservoir dams attacked by RAF 617 squadron in May 1943. The...